Poll: Can MU Regain Blue Blood Status

[Galway Eagle]

Arkansas in the 90s... never more than back-to-back seasons of .800 winning.

MU? Almost every year (though not in our nat'l championship year.

Meant tournament success. Let's also not forget that schedules were vastly different between the two teams

[brewcity77]

Villanova is having a very nice run, but I don't class them as a blue-blood. Just like I wouldn't consider Maryland under Gary Williams, Michigan under Steve Fischer, or Arkansas under Nolan Richardson. They had some good years and won titles, but it was largely on the strength of 1-2 recruiting classes.

Get back to me after 15+ years of sustaining that success.

And honestly, I don't know that I'd consider Marquette to have ever been a blue blood in the first place. If so, we hit the bare minimum. Really, it was a decade of success under McGuire. We were never the type of program to echo across generations the way UNC, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke/Syracuse have. The last two largely under 1 coach, but sustaining it because the coach was in place for 35+ years.

Blue bloods aren't determined by what happens over a 5-10 year period. Blue bloods are those programs that grandfather, father, and son all acknowledge to be among the best. That happens over decades, not years. If Wojo can build up to Duke-level success for the next 30 years and have a solid succession plan, then we can get there. But that's a long way off.

[bilsu]

Kentucky Blue
Carolina Blue
Duke Blue devils
I think Kansas is also blue, but I am not a 100% sure about that.
A few years ago a commentator during a game I was watching said the term blue blood was started by a commentator that noted that the four top programs all had blue uniforms and then labeled them the blue bloods.

[muwarrior69]

We were never a Blue Blood. Now having Blue Collar status I think even Al would agree.

[Lennys Tap]

I would wait until Wojo's Warriors at least win one NCAA tournament game before debating whether we're heading toward "blue blood" vs merely "elite" status.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Yes.  Marquette was and will be a blue. Blood.  We have traditionally been a basketball power house.  I believe Coach Wojo has us on course to be a top ten team.  We are filling the roster with great talent with great shooters, athletes and tough rebounder.  I am bullish about our future.  Go Marquette blue and gold!

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Horse Shoe Crabs have blue blood.

[muwarrior69]

Horse Shoe Crabs have blue blood.

Once we regain our blue blood status we can change our Mascot from Golden Eagle to the Horse Shoe Warrior Crabs.

[barfolomew]

Once we regain our blue blood status we can change our Mascot from Golden Eagle to the Horse Shoe Warrior Crabs.

Our mascot will be the heike crab, which resembles a scowling Samurai warrior:




This mascot would be used for eight years until deemed offensive not to the Japanese, but to decapod crustaceans. A search firm will be contracted to find an ocean dweller who is less offensive, but still embodies the rich oceanic history of Marquette University.

After two test marketing trials, three student polls, and four board member resignations, your Marquette sports teams will play the 2029-30 athletic seasons as the Fighting Anemones.
 

[TSmith34, Inc.]

After two test marketing trials, three student polls, and four board member resignations, your Marquette sports teams will play the 2029-30 athletic seasons as the Fighting Anemones.

Don't blame me, I wrote in Sea Cucumbers

[Loose Cannon]

  When we have a coach that stay 25-30 years.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Our mascot will be the heike crab, which resembles a scowling Samurai warrior:




This mascot would be used for eight years until deemed offensive not to the Japanese, but to decapod crustaceans. A search firm will be contracted to find an ocean dweller who is less offensive, but still embodies the rich oceanic history of Marquette University.

After two test marketing trials, three student polls, and four board member resignations, your Marquette sports teams will play the 2029-30 athletic seasons as the Fighting Anemones.

You missed the part where we were the Marquette Blowfish for a week.

[Spotcheck Billy]

You missed the part where we were the Marquette GoldBlowfish for a week.

 

[MU82]

After we win the 2019 and 2020 national titles, I'd say we'll be getting close!

[Billy Hoyle]

I would argue blue blood in college basketball means as follows:

1) Consistent NCAA tournament team over an extended period of time.

2) Regular Elite 8 team.

3) Competitor for 5-star talent and consistently strong recruiter.


We aren't there yet, but I would argue the NCAA bluebooks today are Kentucky, UNC, Duke, Villanova, Louisville, Michigan State, Arizona, Florida, Kansas.

Fallen bluebloods include us, Indiana, UConn, UCLA (perhaps not), Texas, Georgetown (very far), Arkansas, UNLV (since Tark left).

Guys and Warriorchick, your thoughts?

Multiple national titles (more than 3), that's blueblood status.

As for your list: Nova - no, Louisville - no, Michigan State - no, Arizona - no, Florida - no. Gonzaga would be on the list before Florida and they are not a "blue blood."

Bluebloods are Duke (5 national titles), Carolina (6 national titles), Kansas (amazingly only 3 national titles), Kentucky (8 national titles), UConn (4 national titles), UCLA and Indiana (5 national titles).  It's all about national title banners over time, not right now. Michigan State has 9 final four banners hanging in their arena but only 2 national title banners (and 3 finals appearances) to show for it.

Sorry, but MU isn't even on the cusp of "blue blood" status.  More than 1 national title, more than 1 outright conference title in 27 years and 1 Final Four appearance in 41 years would be helpful.  We have fewer national titles than San Francisco and NC State.

[Galway Eagle]

Multiple national titles (more than 3), that's blueblood status.

As for your list: Nova - no, Louisville - no, Michigan State - no, Arizona - no, Florida - no. Gonzaga would be on the list before Florida and they are not a "blue blood."

Bluebloods are Duke (5 national titles), Carolina (6 national titles), Kansas (amazingly only 3 national titles), Kentucky (8 national titles), UConn (4 national titles), UCLA and Indiana (5 national titles).  It's all about national title banners over time, not right now. Michigan State has 9 final four banners hanging in their arena but only 2 national title banners (and 3 finals appearances) to show for it.

Sorry, but MU isn't even on the cusp of "blue blood" status.  More than 1 national title, more than 1 outright conference title in 27 years and 1 Final Four appearance in 41 years would be helpful.  We have fewer national titles than San Francisco and NC State.

Gonzaga would absolutely not be on the list before Florida.

Titles: UF 2 GU 0

Runner up: UF 1 GU 1

Final Four: UF 5 GU 1

Elite 8: UF 9 GU 3

Sweet 16s: UF 11 GU 8

NCAA appearances: UF 20 GU 20.

 their programs took off at roughly the same time so this isn't ancient history. Florida has been a blue blood equal since 94

[GooooMarquette]

Everybody is missing the obvious here. All we have to do is change our nickname to the Bluebloods.

Voila: Instant Blueblood status.

[dgies9156]

OK guys, I'm not sure there is a whole lot of difference between blue blood and elite programs.

If you see blue blood as a very select group of long-term elite teams, then, yes, we never were one. Rather, we are an emerging elite team with considerable upside for now and a strong history.

The differentiating factor between elite and blue blood teams is coaching stability. If you look at today's blue bloods, Louisville, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and even Michigan State have one thing in common -- long-term, coaching stability. Four- and Five-Star recruits can attend these universities and know the coach will either be there for their tenure or his replacement will be one of the best in the country. Look at the transition at Louisville between Denny Crum and Slick Rick, for example. Seamless.

By contrast, look at us. We were an elite team when Coach McGuire was here. We did what North Carolina did with Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty and transitioned to Coaches Raymonds and Majerus. Neither proved to be an elite coach at Marquette (though Majerus did at Utah). We then nearly killed the program with the Piano Man before Coach O'Neill brought us back to respectability. Another downturn with Mike Deane before the combination of Coaches Crean and Hillbilly made us a near-elite team again.

The lack of stability here since Coach McGuire has killed us. The same can be said for Indiana University since Coach Knight left. Too many coaches, too long a rebuilding process and too many restarts. You can't be an elite or blue blood team if you don't retain and build your coach. Period.

[Bocephys]

Everybody is missing the obvious here. All we have to do is change our nickname to the Bluebloods.

Voila: Instant Blueblood status.

[#UnleashSean]

Once we can get a coach who doesn't jump ship for a better opportunity then we degrade them as actually being horrible. Then we can talk about blue blood.